The Important Things in Life
生活中那些重要的事

经济学领域有个著名的“二八定律”，这样一个法则同样适用于我们的生活：真正重要的人和事只有20%，我们应将80%的时间用在它们上面。很多人到了迟暮之年才后悔让那些并不重要的事情占据了自己大部分甚至全部的时间，反而忽略了那些真正重要的人和事。因而，在我们有机会选择时，一定要做出正确的选择。

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the remaining open areas of the jar. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things—your family, your partner, your health, your children—things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter—like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party, or fix the disposal.”

“Take care of the rocks first—the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

一位哲学教授面对学生们站着，他面前的桌子上放了一些物品。开始上课时，他默默不语地拿起了一个很大的之前用来装蛋黄酱的空罐子，并用石块将其填满，这些石块的直径为2英寸左右。然后他问学生们这个罐子是否满了，学生们都赞同罐子满了。

于是教授又拿起一盒鹅卵石，并将它们倒进了罐子里。他轻轻地晃了晃罐子。这些鹅卵石当然也就纷纷跑到大石块之间的缝隙里去了。于是他又问学生们这个罐子是否满了。学生们都说满了。

教授又拿起一盒细沙，并将它们倒进了罐子里。当然，沙子又填到了罐子里边的缝隙里。他又再一次问学生们说这个罐子是否满了。学生们异口同声地回答说“满了。”

“现在，”教授说到，“我想让你们明白，这个罐子就像是你们的生活。那些大石块就是那些重要的事情——你的家庭、伴侣、健康、孩子——也就是那些如果你失去了一切，但是只要它们还在，你的生活依旧圆满的人和事。鹅卵石则是其余那些重要的事——就像是你的工作、房子和汽车。沙子是其余所有的事，那些小事。”

“如果你首先往罐子里放入的是沙子”，他继续说到，“那么就没有地方再放入鹅卵石或者石块了。你的生活也是同样的道理。如果你将所有的时间和精力都耗费在那些微不足道的琐事上面，那么你就没有时间和精力用于那些重要的人和事上面了。一定要关注那些和你的幸福快乐密切相关的人和事。陪伴孩子玩耍，带伴侣出去跳舞。工作、打扫房屋、设宴请客或者修理垃圾处理器，这些事情总是会有时间做的。”

“首先照管好大石块——那些真正重要的人和事。确定好哪些事情是你要优先处理的，其他的不过是沙子罢了。”

巧记词汇

wordlessly [ˈwɜːdləsli] ad. 默默无声地

【拓】wordless [ˈwɜːdləs] a. 沉默的，无声的

mayonnaise [ˌmeɪəˈneɪz] n. 蛋黄酱

【拓】yolk [jəʊk] n. 蛋黄

jar [dʒɑː(r)] n. 罐子

【拓】bottle [ˈbɒtl] n. 瓶子

diameter [daɪˈæmɪtə(r)] n. 直径

【拓】radius [ˈreɪdiəs] n. 半径

pebble [ˈpebl] n. 卵石，小圆石

【拓】stone [stəʊn] n. 石头

unanimous [juˈnænɪməs] a. 意见一致的

【拓】consistent [kənˈsɪstənt] a. 一致的

disposal [dɪˈspəʊzl] n. 垃圾处理器

【拓】trash [træʃ] n. 垃圾

priority [praɪˈɒrəti] n. 优先处理的事

【拓】prior [ˈpraɪə(r)] a. 优先的

趣学短语

go for 适用于；选择；争取，试图获得

【例】These principles also go for our daily life. 这些原则同样适用于我们的日常生活。